Mustafa Ali On His Hectic Life Before WWE, His Police Unit Finding Out About The CWC
Mustafa Ali spoke with ESPN before his upcoming Cruiserweight Championship match against Cedric Alexander on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff. Here are some of the highlights.
Before WWE, trying to balance being a Chicago Police officer, taking care of his family, and working part-time as a wrestler:
"Yeah, it sucked, man. There were days I'd wrestle at 9 o'clock, and afterward, I often didn't shower and would just throw on sweatpants. I had my police gear in the car and would rush to get to the station by 10:30, clean myself off as best I could and be ready for my shift by 10:59."
During the Cruiserweight Classic, Daniel Bryan noted Ali was a Police Officer in Chicago and that eventually made its back to his unit:
"When I eventually came back to roll call, everyone was staring and smirking at me. I said, 'What's going on?' And they said, 'How was your vacation?' I told them it was a lot of fun, but they kept pressing. 'Where did you say you went again? Who did you go with?' She took a picture and sent it around to everyone, so yeah, they eventually found out."
Playing a face in WWE:
"Just take a look at anything you do. Go to the movies, and you see a guy with a turban. He's a terrorist, right? We're getting better, but we have so much more to do. I've been told that to see someone like me on TV, someone [with a foreign name] who's not the bad guy but rather an American who comes out with a smile and high-fiving the fans, is encouraging. It gives me hope."
Ali also discussed more about moving to pro wrestling full-time. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.